August 08, 2013

Sea Point swimming pool named among Top 10 in the world

Natalie Roos’ body was born in Johannesburg… but her soul was always Capetonian. At the age of 14, Natalie started work in the television industry, presenting popular local kids TV show, KTV. Ten years and another TV job later (presenting celebrity gossip show JIP on Afrikaans music channel MK), Natalie made the move down to Cape Town where she started her blog, Tails of a Mermaid (www.tailsofamermaid.com). Her love for the internet and all things communication-driven became a natural progression to a career in Social Media, where she worked in an agency managing the online presence, content and reputation of various brands.

Anyone who has seen the film The Life of Pi (or read the book, of course) will know the significance a beautiful pool can have on a man's (or woman's) life. Just as the film's lead character was named after the beautiful Piscine Molitor in Paris, one would understand if, after just one dip in the beautiful Sea Point swimming pool, a man was moved to name his first born after its cool blue waters.

Image of the Sea Point swimming pool courtesy of Lee Casalena

The Guardian’s website reads about the pool: ‘The Pavilion swimming pools in Cape Town are a local institution. You swim your lengths while watching super tankers moored alongside twirl on their anchors. Sometimes surf from the cold Atlantic Benguela current washes over the deck.’

“This is a great accolade for Cape Town and reaffirms our commitment to providing top quality public facilities where people can enjoy time with friends and family outdoors. The Sea Point swimming pool is one of our prize facilities and is an extremely popular destination for both tourists and locals,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Special Projects, Alderman Belinda Walker.

Did you know that over 60 000 visitors will flock to the pool over the summer season (October to February)? On any given day in summer you’ll find a colourful mix of locals and tourists soaking up the sun, professional and recreational swimmers ploughing up and down the pool, and people of all ages frolicking in the water.

Even during the the cold winter months, you'll find a few die-hards training as the year-round runners jog up and down the ocean front promenade. According to his blog, long-distance swimmer, Theodore Yach, does his best training at the Sea Point swimming pool.

Over the coming months, the City will spend R3 million on upgrading the Sea Point pool. Work will include essential maintenance to ensure that this pool remains a world-class facility: repairing the existing rim flows, reinforcing expansion joints, fibre lining the pool, and tiling of the steps.

Here's a collection of images of the beautiful Sea Point swimming pool, from our Flickr group.